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May 23rd, 2012
angelinehawkes
 | 01:10 pm - Writing Wednesday: Fulbright & Hawkes Digital Summer Reading List
Are you ready for those summer afternoons by the pool? Are you ready for the reading on trains, planes, in cars while traveling to vacation destinations? What about for the waiting in the car while picking up kids from various summer programs and classes?
SUMMER IS HERE!!
Make sure you load up your Kindle or Nook or whatever high-tech reader you've got in your purse, briefcase, saddlebag or pocket with the horrific and fantastic from Fulbright & Hawkes.
Fulbright & Hawkes Summer Reading List:
SORROW CREEK
The name of Sorrow Creek Plantation should have been Max and Cassi Gautreaux’s first clue. The chilling inscription on the old rebel Captain's crypt in the cemetery on their property should have warned them away. Nevertheless, they’re committed to the cause of refurbishing the old home, especially in the wake of Max’s nervous breakdown, which drove them into the backwoods to seek a quieter life. But when they discover a cache of decaying baby items hidden away in a wall with the name Magdalena on a yellowed scrap of paper, things start to happen. Unspeakable things. Now, Max and Cassi are drawn into a tangled web of mystery, murder, ghosts and deceit. Voodoo stirs the mists of the Louisiana swamps, drawing them deeper into the scarred and haunted heart of the bayou, to face the darkest secrets of Sorrow Creek.
BLACK MERCY FALLS
The small Colorado town of Black Mercy Falls has a ghastly past. The massive waterfall above the town runs thick with black iron oxide, but there are hushed suggestions that something evil is responsible for the dark waters. Whispers of the locals connect a list of missing children with a diabolical tale of the town's founding father. Is the waterfall haunted? Or is the town cursed by something that stalks its children by night? Now the waterfall and the land it's on are bequeathed to Lance Evans by his estranged uncle. But when Lance brings his wife and son to explore the inheritance, they scarcely have a chance to marvel at its beauty and settle in to the rustic cabin than good fortune is overshadowed by tragedy. Mists of the past enshroud a dark legacy that threatens to take the lives of those he loves. It'll take all he can do to save them or die trying.
"Equal parts gritty and elegant, Black Mercy Falls is a tense, dark and welcome contribution to the growing fusion of crime and horror fiction. Watch out—these authors just upped their game!" —Hank Schwaeble, Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Damnable
"Fulbright and Hawkes have written a story that will swallow you up as surely as an undertow. This is great stuff. Consider it required reading for the discerning horror connoisseur." —Joe McKinney, author of Dead City and Apocalypse of the Dead
BLOOD COVEN
On the filthy streets of Victorian London's East End, a centuries-old evil is amassing its forces. Only one man stands in its way: a legendary vampire killer called The Catcher. Trained from childhood by a secret society, he's fast, efficient, and deadly. He's also totally on his own, working undercover in the darkest quarter of the city, facing the closest thing to death he's ever known.
"Blood Coven is an action packed ride as good battles evil and fangs fight knives in a last-man-standing free-for-all between the brood of an ancient vampire queen and the deadliest vampire killer in all London. Lots of fun for those with a taste for bloody adventure." --Robert Weinberg, Arkham House editor and author of Vampire: The Masquerade of the Red Death
OF WOLF AND MAN -- Christopher Fulbright
"Fulbright manages to strike an incredibly effective chord somewhere between the pulp mysteries of Dashiell Hammett and the earlier work of Stephen King, particularly akin to 'SALEM'S LOT or IT . . . OF WOLF AND MAN gets my stamp of approval. A definite recommendation that any werewolf enthusiast is sure to enjoy." --Michael Compton, Fangoria.com
One man's life is destroyed the night he finds his wife torn apart in their upscale New York apartment. His grief just barely outweighs his fury as he slogs into the dark days ahead. Another man returns to his childhood home in a soul-search for meaning, attempting to learn more of his father's occult past. But all who knew him are killed by something that stalks the night.Tying them together is an erotic sorceress. Possessed by evil, bent on propagating the werewolven race, she will stop at nothing to see that her diabolical work is done.
THE COMMANDMENTS -- Angeline Hawkes
An ancient curse…A priceless artifact…Evil dwells in God’s house… It all seemed so perfect. Reverend Sutton Conway’s congregation pinched and saved in order to purchase an ancient slab of history: a 2,500-year-old stone tablet, a copy of the Ten Commandments. But the perfect slice of history came with an added mystery that soon takes root and begins to grow with horrifying results. From an exotic goddess of India to a street smart hooker, from Mayan vases to steamy hot tub liaisons between sex-crazed neighbors, The Commandments compels the reader to turn just one more page in hopes of solving the accursed riddle. ***2006 Bram Stoker Award Nominee for Best Collection*** Includes a limited edition bonus story, "Hammered."
"Angeline Hawkes writes a fast paced story filled with fascinating characters and taking place in exotic locales. Her work never fails to entertain. Watch out for Angeline, she's a writer on the move." –-Robert Weinberg, author of The Black Lodge, The Dead Man’s Kiss and The Masquerade of the Red Death trilogy based on the Vampire: the Masquerade RPG.
"Angeline Hawkes has finally given readers what they want ... more than just a taste. In The Commandments she again offers intelligent, entertaining, forceful storytelling that will compel you to read cover to cover in a single sitting. A wonderful way to spend a day." –-John Paul Allen, author of Gifted Trust and Weeping Mary
THE BONE TREE -- Christopher Fulbright
Above a Civil War graveyard in the backwoods of Texas, Kevin and Bobby’s treehouse was their haven against the world. But the day Tom Plecker comes screaming through the creek below, terrified of a shadow man, that all changes. Walking Tom home they see it — the tree, its branches twisted like the pain-wracked frame of a fleshless corpse, knotty snarls of bone-white wood clawing the sky. The Bone Tree is more than a stark, twisted visage. It’s alive, and it's gaining power. When the shadow men come to call on the boys, they must fight a supernatural force they barely understand…
FANTASY
THE SWAN ROAD -- Angeline Hawkes
"A ... revival of ancient ideas & societies, a departure from traditional characterizations & plotlines... exciting, adventurous novel that keeps you turning pages & rooting for its heroes & heroines." --Renaissance Magazine
Life in 10th century Norway is a challenge for man and beast. The sea, or the swan road, as it is known, plays a vital part in existence. For Tore Nordahldatr life is a constant struggle as she rages against who she is and who she wishes she could be. When a blood payment is demanded and the chieftain, Hablock Bloodaxe, is gone to sea, chaos ensues as a blood-thirsty rival family takes matters into their own hands. To escape slaughter, Tore must disguise herself as a young man until her brother Ulf can return from sea with Bloodaxe to set matters straight. Things go from bad to worse when Tore takes a sword sacred to the god, Tyr. She appeals to the goddess Sif for protection, but Sif’s bargaining with Tyr dangerously thrusts Tore into the world of men in a way not even she could imagine. Living as Eirik the Silent Graafell, Tore must prove herself worthy of the sword through battle to escape Tyr’s wrath. Even if Tore can fulfill her bargain with the gods, dealing with Ulf will be another challenge as he is dead-set on vengeance no matter who gets in his way.
Angeline Hawkes’s novel, The Swan Road, “introduces the reader to interesting, well-developed characters who live and breathe in the land of the Norse amid gods and goddesses, seaborne raids, blood, bones and births.” —Renaissance Magazine
“Innovative fantasy, refreshing realism, and a central character you care about from page one, The Swan Road is a triumph of Viking Age adventure like none you've ever read! Tore Nordahldatr's journey from young womanhood to Viking warriorhood and beyond, protected by the Goddess Sif and her own iron will against the curses of the God Tyr and earthly dangers all too real, is a fantastic saga of epic dimensions you must not miss!” —C. Dean Andersson, author of I Am Dracula and Warrior Witch, Book One in the Saga of the Warrior Woman Bloodsong
GUILD OF THE BLUE DRAGON (Young Adult) --Christopher Fulbright
Kody Warren has more experience with death than any 13-year-old should. He lost his father in the Iraq war and now his mother’s dying of cancer, forcing him to live in the city with his uncle. The only positive thing is that Angel Reese lives in the apartment across the hall. And lately, Angel is stirring feelings in him that have him thinking about her in a whole new way.
Kody needs a miracle to save his mother. That miracle’s name is Gwydian Dracon, blue dragon, healer and master of Rymworld. When the owner of Kody’s favorite magic shop sends them on a quest to find the blue dragon, Kody and Angel are plunged into an ancient war between Gwydian and his evil brother, the black dragon Drakanikus Savitar. Their battlegrounds are the streets of our world and the boundary between this dimension and the next. Trailed by a twisted agent of the black dragon bent on his master’s will, Kody and Angel are swept into a world within a world where they find their quest carries dire consequences. Finally, Kody must face the ultimate question—is his mother’s life worth saving if it costs the lives of thousands more? An epic urban fantasy adventure with angels, demons, and magical creatures of all kinds, Guild of the Blue Dragon appeals to fans of Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, and C.S. Lewis’s tales of Narnia.
SUSPENSE
ALREADY GONE -- Christopher Fulbright (Young Adult)
 Meet Mitchell Chase, a 16-year-old hard case who pays his dad rent in exchange for being treated as an adult. Unfortunately, he’s having a tough time of it—Mitchell drinks too much, fights too much, he’s broke, and he’s got girl problems like a dog’s got fleas. When the prettiest girl in Carson Lake High School asks Mitchell to help find her missing baby brother, he doesn’t exactly jump at the chance. He’s just a student and part-time intern reporter for the local newspaper, after all, not Jupiter Jones. But considering she’s a friend of Sarah Faulk, the girl that got away, he figures it’s a good chance to get back in her good graces. However, as pieces of the mystery come together, the pieces of his social life begin to fall apart. Soon, Mitchell is dodging menacing intruders, emotional wrecks, angry boyfriends, and a villain intent on eliminating loose ends. Already Gone is a hard-hitting young adult mystery novel that will appeal to fans of hard-boiled detective fiction and thrillers. With more teeth than Anthony Horowitz’s Alex Rider adventures, and more bite than a pack of wild dogs, you’ve never read a young adult novel quite like this one before!
Current Mood:  cheerful
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shanna_s
 | 10:45 am - Small Towns and Soul-Restoring Places
And today I walked to the bank. Exercise! Again, I went by way of the park across the street. It used to be a vacant lot the canal and walking path ran through, with a widened "pond" area and a fountain-like spray to keep the water aerated and flowing. A few years ago they turned it into a butterfly park, planting the kinds of plants that would attract butterflies, adding an additional path and some trees to the other side of the water and making the fountain something that seems ornamental as well as functional. The plants are still filling in, but the ones that have reached some degree of maturity, especially the roses, are now glorious. It's become one of those soul-restoring places. I can happily sit and look at the flowers and listen to the fountain.
It was a little unnerving when the teller at the bank called me by name, even before I handed her my check and deposit slip, but then I remembered that she had me coach her on pronouncing it on my last visit. Apparently, Norwegian names don't roll off the tongue for Indians. It's funny, I spent my teen years desperate to get away from small-town life, and I end up in a neighborhood that functions a lot like a small town even though it's part of a big city in a major metropolitan area -- in fact, even more like the idealized small town than the small town I'm from, in that I can walk just about everywhere and there really are neighborhood services like the bank, library, post office and coffee shop where the people recognize you and often know your name. My home town is very spread out and you'd be taking your life in your hands to walk anywhere. And then everything I don't do in my neighborhood I do in the neighboring small town where I can seldom go to the grocery store without running into someone I know. I think "part of a major metropolitan area" is the key part that keeps this from being the kind of small town I'd want to escape. Not only can I walk to a movie theater and library, but just about anything else I could possibly need is a short drive away. My home town was about 14 miles from the nearest "city" that still wasn't entirely civilized, and we lived on a farm outside the town, so there was no way to walk anywhere. This is more like the towns and villages you read about in books.
I don't really have any new book 5 -- Much Ado About Magic -- news, other than that things are in progress. The cover is almost complete, the copy editor is at work, and an author whose books I love has read it and given a quote for the cover. All of that will be revealed soon.
I spent yesterday working through the tutorial for the new version of my web design software because they've added features and I've forgotten a lot. I started playing around with a test site. Before I purchase the upgrade after playing with the trial, I may also try a test site using the software that came with my computer, since I'm starting from scratch anyway. I'd forgotten how tedious this process can be.
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cynleitichsmith
 | 08:02 am - Guest Post: The Walking Writer by Jennifer R. Hubbard
 | | Redwood Trail |
By Jennifer R. Hubbard
for Cynsations
I don’t know how strong a trend this is, but in the past couple of years I’ve heard of several writers setting up “treadmill desks.”
As I understand it, this consists of a treadmill (set on very slow speed!) and a shelf with a computer. The writer walks while working. It’s supposed to be healthier than sitting at a desk for hour after hour.
I love walking and I love writing, but I’m not sure I could do both at once—or at least, that I could compose on a keyboard while walking. (I write while walking all the time, as I’ll explain later.)
Treadmills make me dizzy. And even though the treadmill in this case would be set to a low speed, my writing sometimes requires moments of absolute stillness for an idea to work its way from my brain to my fingertips.
But for writers who can work this way, it sounds like a great idea. I’m all for movement, however it’s achieved. Writing can be a very sedentary profession. We need to get our blood flowing, our muscles working.
 I walk or hike daily. This serves a few purposes, beyond the basic need of exercise. It serves a few writing-related purposes, in fact.
(I also use a stationary bike, but I find I can’t think writerly thoughts while doing that, so I read or watch TV instead.)
Walking enables me to take a break from the writing desk. Sometimes I need to stop engaging my conscious mind with the story at hand, and let the subconscious work. I get fresh air and exercise and mental rest.
But other times, as I walk, my mind will keep working on the story. New scenes and bits of dialogue will come unbidden as I walk. This is how I first learned to tell stories: they unreeled in my head while I went about the daily business of living. A good long walk, with nothing else required of me, allows my mind the freedom and focus to compose.
Hiking vacations also take me to interesting new places, some of which end up in stories.
The waterfall in Try Not to Breathe (Viking, 2012) was inspired by years of hiking trips, many of which included visits to waterfalls. (In fact, as my husband plans our vacation hikes, he knows that anything featuring a waterfall will get an automatic “yes” from me.)
 | | Myrtle Falls |
The river in The Secret Year (Viking, 2010) was a composite of several rivers and creeks that I’ve lived (and walked) near. The feel of moss, the scent of pine needles, the crunch of fallen leaves, the glint of mica in the sun: all of these have found their way from my hikes into my stories.
 | | Panhandle Bridge |
Writers put a lot of stock in the “butt in chair, fingers on keyboard” moments, as well we should. But sometimes it’s useful to stand up at, or even step away from, the desk.
 | | Trail to Burroughs |
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cynleitichsmith
| 07:59 am - Book Trailer: Struck by Jennifer Bosworth
Compiled by Cynthia Leitich Smith
for Cynsations
Check out the book trailer for Struck by Jennifer Bosworth (FSG, 2012). From the promotional copy:
Mia Price is a lightning addict. She's survived countless strikes, but her craving to connect to the energy in storms endangers her life and the lives of those around her.
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jaylake
 | 05:44 am - [process] Reality, realism and synchronicity
Sometime this past week (it's all something of a blur now), I was having a conversation about realism in fiction. I think this was with @madge707. We weren't talking about realism as a literary movement, but rather the more plain meaning of the word. Specifically, the balance between enough detail and too much detail.
As they say, you can't fool all of the people all of the time. It's simply not possible. Someone with special knowledge is going to be a much more critical reader of fiction in their knowledge domain. The amount and precision of medical information I would have to put into a short story about doctors in order to satisfy a medically-trained reader is far greater and more demanding than what I would have to put in to satisfy a general reader. On the other hand, there are a lot of doctors and nurses and med techs and so forth out there, so this is probably worth getting right.
Another example of this is a short story I read some years ago, possibly in a Writers of the Future volume. In it, the protagonist is time traveling, and flips through a series of historical vignettes. At one point, the arrive atop a yurt in Genghis Khan's horde, and climb down the central tent pole to take some action. This threw me out of the story, first of all because "yurt" is a Russian word, and to Mongolians, it's a "ger". Second of all, gers don't have a central tent pole. They have a pair of offset poles supporting a central ring. Why do I know this? Because I've spent time in Outer Mongolia, including visiting and sleeping in actual Mongolian gers. However, this is a knowledge domain that I share with about seven of the people who ever read that story.
One of the challenges of being a writer is knowing where to set that dial. When does reality trump realism? Sometimes the actual details really are less believable than the fictional details.
The example that had generated the conversation was that @madge707 was working on a story about a San Francisco police detective. In the SFPD, detectives are titled as "inspectors". Someone in her critique group at the conference was confused by this, not realizing this bit of San Francisco detail. So the question was, did she go for the reality, which was confusing, or the realism, which was erroneous. (Obviously, there are fairly simple ways to resolve this, it's just an example.)
I provided a similar example from living in Portland. While Portland has a police department, just like virtually every other city or town in the United States, the Portland police department is formally known as the Portland Police Bureau. (The fire department is the Portland Fire Bureau, etc.) I'm not even sure most people in Portland realize this. It's not prominently painted on the police cars or anything. Almost certainly no one outside Portland knows this unless they have special Portland knowledge. So, as I said to @madge707, if writing about crime in Portland, would it be confusing to refer to the Police Bureau, or the PPB? Because that would look odd to most American readers, who expect the term "Police Department".
A couple of days later, I'm reading Mark Teppo's excellent and gripping novel Lightbreaker [ Powells | BN ] (which I have since left on an airplane, forty pages from the end, grrr) and what do I find but a reference to the Portland Police Department, being used by a character who is a cop from the Seattle Police Department. The reference is in initial caps, i.e., the proper name, which is of course, not correct. Something the character in question would absolutely know better than to do, insofar as real life goes.
I cracked up hard.
Ah, the magic of synchronicity.
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jaylake
 | 05:23 am - [food|cheese] The cheese spread at Paradise Lost II
On Saturday at Paradise Lost II in San Antonio this past weekend, we took up a collection to fund a cheese spread. @dratz, @itsaJuliasaurus, @gwenthing and I then hied ourselves over to pillage Central Market on Broadway. We did pretty well by it.
Unfortunately, due to the impending hunger of the crowd upon our return, I did not have time to photograph the spread in detail as is my wont. I did, however, keep the receipt. Forthwith, here is the photo and an accounting of the fruits of land and cattle therein.
From the top, clockwise:
Mortadella with pistachios
It's my understanding that true mortadella is illegal to import into the U.S. The bologna from hell, basically. I like it grilled.
Sopressata citerio
The closest thing to a basic salami in this spread. A flavorful cured meat that isn't particularly challenging to most carnivorous palates.
Proscuitto di Parma (30 months)
One of my perennial favorites, though not everyone enjoys the slight muskiness of this Italian ham.
Hot capicolla
As @psursi said, this is salami for grown-ups. Assuming that by "grown ups" you mean people who like their lips to tingle when they eat meat.
Jamon Iberico
A very rich, smooth Spanish ham with some similarities to proscuitto.
Affidelice au chablis
A blended triple creme with a chablis-soaked rind. Quite tasty and rich as expected.
Chimay
Not the grand cru cheese, but their regular cheese. A good inclusion for the less adventurous cheese eater, as it is creamy and smooth and doesn't get into fistfights with one's tastebuds.
Delice de Bourgogne
Another triple creme. If you're not familiar with that kind of cheese, think of this as what Philly Cream Cheese gets to be if it eats its Wheaties and says its prayers and goes to cheese heaven when it dies.
Eiffel Tower cremeux triple creme
A third triple creme, because how much rich smoothness is too much?
Mimolette (12 months)
A hard, aged cheese that is rather bright orange, with a sprightly tang.
Manchego (4 months)
Young manchego runs a bit bitter and zingy, but without the oily, crumbly texture of aged manchego.
Sottocenere al tartuffo
My personal favorite cheese, a mellow Italian with truffle oil in the milk and truffle inclusions whose flavor has a complex finish much in the fashion of a good wine.
Valdeon bleu
A mixed milk Spanish blue that kicks ass, takes name and starts fights in your mouth. Not for the faint of heart, but awesome if you're a blue cheese fan.
Epoisses
A cheese whose rind is an offense against nature, but once you get past the stinky feet smell, tastes like butter on steroids.
Barkids moon
A new cheese we tried on a flier. Didn't impress me, seemed serviceable enough in a middle of the road way. Flavorful.
Cantal (6 months)
Somewhat parmigiana-like French cheese that was also new to me.
Plus duck rilettes, avocados, artichoke hearts, garlic stuffed olives, salad and bread. And wine. And beer. And more wine.
Photo © 2012, Joseph E. Lake, Jr.
This work by Joseph E. Lake, Jr. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
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jaylake
 | 05:18 am - [photos] Your Wednesday moment of zen
Your Wednesday moment of zen.
Flower. © 2006, 2012, Joseph E. Lake, Jr.
The current photo series is from my 'favorites' file, hence the dates jumping about
This work by Joseph E. Lake, Jr. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
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jaylake
 | 05:17 am - [links] Link salad is identical cousins with Linkee-poo
Just What the (Bleep) Do I Think I’m Doing? – Redux — Richard Parks Is Wise on process.
The Oatmeal responds to a Forbes article criticizing the recent Tesla comic — This is freaking hilarious.
A really striking Absolut ad masquerading as a short film — This is a lot of fun. (Via ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif?v=1) willyumtx.)
Italy earthquake hits parmesan production — Cheese producers near quake's epicentre fear for 300,000 parmesan wheels that crashed to the ground in warehouses. Epic cheese disaster! (Thanks to Scrivener's Error.)
Gotthard Girl's Pioneering Intestine — Headline of the week. Do you even care what the story is about? (A historical map of European railroads, btw.)
Can a Surfboard-Sized Watercraft Cross the Pacific on Wave Power Alone?
News flash: Congresscritters using slightly shorter words and sentences — Language Log deconstructs a current, somewhat idiotic political meme.
Career Prospects in the Pain Business — Interesting bit of political media theater. (Thanks to danjite.)
North Carolina Pastor: Pen In ‘All The Lesbians And Queers’ With An Electrified Fence, Wait For Them To ‘Die Out’ — Man, I can really feel the enlightening warmth of that Christian love for their fellow man from all the way over here on the West Coast.
NBC, Fox, CBS etc. Protest transparency requirement on Political Advertising — Yeah. Because why would any citizen ever want or need to know that stuff? I should think no matter what your politics, this seems like an issue.
It’s Official: Watching Fox Makes You Stupider — According to a new study by Farleigh Dickinson University, Fox viewers are the least knowledgeable audience of any outlet, and they know even less about politics and current events than people who watch no news at all. But isn't that the whole point of Fox News, to foster a cohort of angry, low information Republican voters?
The Conservative Fantasy History of Civil Rights — Once you endorse counterfactual beliefs in any area (i.e., evolution denial), you enable them in every area. In historical terms, this may be the besetting sin of the conservative movement as it has developed in my lifetime. I can remember when conservatives were realists, but those days are long gone. (Thanks to shsilver.)
Bennett Backs Off Birther Threat, Apologizes To Arizona — I wonder what this is about? I mean, it's not like Republicans have ever had any shame regarding even their most blatant distortions of truth. And btw, this guy was the Romney campaign chair for Arizona. Did you know that? Any guesses on how Your Liberal Media would have reacted to an Obama campaign chair threatening to keep Romney off a state ballot?
?otd: Patty Duke or Jerry Mathers?
5/23/2012
Writing time yesterday: 1.25 hours (WRPA)
Body movement: 55 minute suburban walk
Hours slept: 6.25 (solid)
Weight: n/a (forgot)
Currently reading: Light Breaker by Mark Teppo (except I've lost the darned book)
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